Panthers' Newton preaches patience coming off surgery

Monday

Jul 28, 2014 at 11:23 PM

Cam Newton insists that common sense and patience will continue to win out over his hyper-aggressive side.

By ERIC BOYNTONeric.boynton@shj.com

The ongoing struggle within Cam Newton's brain has increased to a higher level with the beginning of training camp, but the Carolina quarterback insists that common sense and patience will continue to win out over his hyper-aggressive side.Newton was very limited during offseason training while recovering from late March surgery to tighten ligaments in his ankle, and while he's been a full participant since camp began Friday, it will be some time before he shifts into full speed. He acknowledged Monday that holding back is difficult, but the correct way to go.“With the competitive side, you always tell the (staff) you can go, but that's when the smart side has to come in and say that the big picture is trying to be 100 percent by Week 1,” Newton said. “I think it's just the smart thing to do right now. What's the use of running on it if when you go to the training room it's going to swell up. The thing right now is to be smart, and no matter how I feel there is a plan for everything, there's a means to the madness, so right now whatever (trainer) Ryan Vermillion tells me to do is what I'm going to do. If he tells me to hold back, I'm holding back. If he tells me to get more reps, I'm going to be excited to take them.”The 25-year-old Newton, the overall No. 1 pick in 2011, continued to be one of the league's most versatile quarterbacks last season, leading all passers with 585 rushing yards while finishing 15th in passing yardage (3,379) and 12th with 24 touchdown passes. While his overall passing and rushing stats were down from his first two seasons, his 24-to-13 touchdown pass/interceptions ratio was by far his best and, most important, he displayed better decision-making and overall maturity in leading the Panthers to first in the NFC South at 12-4.“(The ankle) is getting better, and each and every day is getting better along with teammates and the progression of the offense,” Newton said. “I'm excited to be out there and have the opportunity to do it. As one of the leaders on this team, you have to hold people accountable, as well as yourself. Each and every day is stressing on the body to get yourself up and going, get yourself up and executing, no matter the (heat), no matter how you're feeling body-wise or whatnot. I'm excited about these guys each and every day and even though it's early they've been battling their tails off.”Defensive end Greg Hardy had no doubts about Newton returning on-time to full-strength and expressed his admiration for all the little things his quarterback has been taking care of off the field in displaying a heightened sense of leadership.“Him sitting out I wasn't worried about because he's a great athlete and he has serious learning skills,” Hardy said. “So I always see him in the locker room late, always see him in the film room running around doing his thing. Just to see him out here putting it all together gives me a lot of faith and we believe in him.”Not only is Newton dealing with coming back from surgery, he's also faced with connecting with a total overhaul at wide receiver.“Everybody's accepted the challenge and with our bonding throughout the offseason it's just brought us closer,” Newton said. “I'm excited about those guys who have a wide-open opportunity and seeing what they're going to do with it. As a quarterback you have to manage a lot of guys and motivate them in different ways. If we can keep this mentality, our anticipation for the season is going to rise, but we've got to focus on each and every day that we have to get better.”After practice, Newton can be seen riding an exercise bike to help with his cardiovascular capacity, an activity that is helping make up for his lack of sprinting from the pocket during scrimmage drills. He'd rather be all the way back to his regular self, darting from the pass rush for a big gain into space, but he's trained his brain that intelligence over toughness is the best path to full recovery.“Being on the bike is a replacement for me just running around,” Newton said. “Even though I want to, I've got a semi-flat tire I'm working with trying to get it pumped back up. There has not been a timeline set and I don't think you can put a timeline on a particular injury like this. It's just a work in progress and one day it feels better than the next and that's the only thing I'm striving to do. I'm putting myself in a position, when it's time for my number to be called during a game, I will be ready to go.”